The Timla Cup: A treasure of the JCU Special Collections

Jean Dartnall takes a look at one of the Special Collections' treasures and answers the question 'Why is this item significant?' 

The Timla cup is now in the Archives Collection of James Cook University’s Special Collections, as part of the archive of the Townsville Fire Brigade Board.


The Timla cup

This silver cup carries five hall marks which provide information about its origins. H&T is the mark of the firm Hilliard and Thomason; Queen Victoria's head is a 'duty' mark that indicates the assay office had paid its taxes on the precious metals used to make the cup; the lion passant (right forepaw raised) indicates that it meets the English standard for Stirling silver; the anchor hallmark tell us this cup was made in Birmingham, England; and finally the letter 'i' shows that it was made in 1883.¹

Hallmarks on the Timla cup


The cup was donated to be awarded in competitions between the Fire Brigades of Townsville and Charters Towers. It came permanently into the hands of the Townsville Fire Brigade because they won in two consecutive competitions, in 1884 and 1886. 

Fire brigade competition, date unknown. North Queensland Photographic Collection NQID22168

The donation was made by the chemists (pharmacists) firm Atkinson & Powell of Townsville and the name Timla is that of a skin medication patented by this firm for treatment of prickly heat. (It may or may not be relevant that ‘Timla’ is one of the common names of the tree Ficus racemosa, traditionally used in many medicinal ways by people throughout Asia.) Whether through the success of this medicine or other aspects of their business, the firm must have been moderately wealthy because in 1886 it was able to call on Mr. Francis Powell’s architect brother Willoughby Powell, to design a substantial building at 181-183 Flinders St. This building is now heritage listed. 

The former Atkinson and Powell Building, Flinders Street east, Townsville, 22 November 2017. Image courtesy of CityLibraries Townsville.

Fire Brigade competions are designed to mimic activities that may be required of firemen during emergencies. Practice of these activities spurred by competition, either within or between brigades, is an important way to keep fire fighters in the best possible condition for their important work. Such competitions continue to be held. 

The details of the activities required in a particular competition varied and might include such things as

  • Hose lay, a race against the clock to see which team can connect hoses the fastest.
  • Hose roll, competitors race each other to roll up a length of hose unfurled in a straight line in front of them from one end to the other.
  • Ladder climb, competitors race each other for the fastest time to reach the top of a ladder. 
  • Bucket brigade race, where teams of competitors must work together to transfer a set amount of water, such as 25 gallons, from one container to another spilling as little as possible. 
  • Competitors must move a barrel across the opposing team's line using water pressure from a fire hose. 
The details of the competitions between Townsville and Charters Towers are not recorded but there is a lively account of the Charters Towers Brigade internal competition in The Northern Miner of 6 June 1985.  It records the fine parade, including band, that started the competition, hose, reel and ladder competitions concluding with many cheers and rounds at the Crown Hotel, Charters Towers. 
 
The competitions between Townsville and Charters Towers seem to have been conducted in the same cheerful spirit. The Northern Miner of 27 April 1886 describes the competition that won Townsville the cup in perpetuity. The Charters Towers Mayor was elected as judge while Ex Superintendent Richardson from Townsville was the starter. The statement that ‘the rope over which the water had to be thrown was stretched between the White Horse and Occidental Hotels’ suggests careful staging but is the only record of the events contested. 
 
The Charters Towers Mayor provided a banquet for both brigades at Green’s Royal Hotel, Charters Towers, which concluded with many speeches and toasts. 
 
The Occidental Hotel, Charters Towers, 1890. North Queensland Photographic Collection NQID 11581

 
References
 

Author Biography

Jean Dartnall's first tertiary training was in the biological sciences and she had a brief research career working in human cytogenetics. She then retrained as a librarian and spent most of her working life in science related library work. Long-standing interests in history and in music have led to opportunities to research and write in these areas. 


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